Analysis of Relevant Opening Sequences

The purpose of an opening sequence is to introduce the characters to the audience to let them know who the main characters are and to then give the audience some ideas of what the key plot to the film is. The common technique for a thriller genre movie opening is the enigma code which presents the audience with a mystery and then the audience’s curiosity of the main plot and why things are happening is stimulated trying to explain it and then retaining interest in the narrative to then find out what the outcome is. The conventions of a thriller genre normally include some sort of secret to the main plot or as to why something is happening which like mentioned already gives the audience the urge to carry on watching to find out the outcome as a common convention of the thriller genre is mysterious and has a huge plot. Different approaches to different opening scenes do have different effects because if the opening sequence is not very revealing then the audience will then want to read on however if the opening sequence just introduces the characters then this has a different outcome on the audience which then just introduces the main characters and their personalities and then the audience know what to expect from each character and how they would react to certain situations.

For example in London to Brighton the film is not in chronological order as it starts of with a scene from hours later and then introduces a flashback which goes back to several hours before therefore this makes the audience question what happened to result into the situation which they just saw along with the characters appearance as the mother has a black eye and loads of scratches on her face however the audience are not aware on how she got the bruising or swelling on her face. The women is accompanied by her daughter who also looks like she has been through a rough time and away from home for a long time which also leaves the audience in suspense and leaves them questioning why all this has happened which then makes them want to watch on and discover what has happened to the mother and daughter which shows the normal techniques of a thriller genre opening.

Conventions of the Thriller Genre.

The following is a list of thriller conventions. Use it to both to create your own sequence and analyse existing ones, remembering that different films will use different conventions in different ways:

A genuine thriller is a film that rentlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy.

Thriller Conventions

-A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder, but not necessarily).

-A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions.

-A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.

A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by the antagonist.

-Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.

-Themes of identity.

-Themes of mirroring.

-Themes of voyeurism (a person who enjoys seeing the pain or distress of others)

-Protagonist with a ‘flaw’ which is exploited by the antagonist.

-Titles often reflect an aspect of the pro/antagonist’s psychological state.

-There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril.

-Mise en scene which echoes/ mirrors the protagonist’s plight.

Some of these can be identified in the opening sequence of the film 'saw 2':

Link to 'saw 2' opening scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXkiaZbM9MM

.Film opens with a man sitting on a chair with a device strapped to his head. poses the questions; Who is he? Why is he there? What is that device strapped to his head?

. A video comes up on the screen of somebody talking on a screen wearing a mask describing what is going on. poses the question; who is he? why is he doing it?

By : Azzari 

Subgenres

Spy thrillers (also a subgenre of spy fiction), in which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Exa

mples include From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the second demons

trating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller.)

Conspiracy thrillers, in which the hero confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he recognizes. Three Days of the Condor, for example, falls into this category.

Erotic Thrillers, Film sub-genre which consists of erotica and thriller and had become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes films such as Basic Instinct.

Legal Thrillers, in which the lawyer-heroes confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham is a well known example of the this subgenre.

Psychological thrillers, in which (until the often violent resolution) conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional 

rather than physical. Alfred Hitchcock’s film Shadow of a Doubt.

Horror thriller, in which conflict between the main characters is mental, emotional, and physical. Two recent examples of this include the Saw series of films and the Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later. What sets the Horror Thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main characters are not only up against a superior force in the form of a monster or monsters, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention.

Disaster thriller, in which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes.

Analyses of Relevant Key Texts

Thrillers are a distinguished by the fast-pacing, recurring action and a protagonist confronting an antagonist. The villain is generally punished and the weaker, maybe better looking character wins the female or remains the last person alive. Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common.

House hold names for thriller films are films such as: The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight, The Matrix, Alien, Clockwork Orange and Sin City. What these all have in common are that there is a good side and bad one also there is there is a lot of action throughout which appeals to all thriller genre lovers, there is also a sense of mystery between them.

Techniques of a thriller consist of the enigma code, which is mostly followed by the director in this code it is action throughout, mysterious scores, suspense and tension. The plotlines have a good character, a bad character and a resolution of what happens in a thriller situation, the good person always wins and the bad characters defeated, but are they?

The relevance to the films above to our opening scene is the fact of mystery and also we’re taking into account Alfred Hitchcocks idea of making the innocent character involved in something very big, in this case a murder.

By: Azzari

History of Thrillers

Thriller and Suspense Films are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension.

Thriller and suspense films are virtually identical and interchangeable categorisations, with similar characteristics and features.

A thrillers single-minded goal is to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. Tension is normally caused when the main character is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. The principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation putting them in a life threatening situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the antagonist is sometimes abstract or shadowy.

Another closely-related genre is the horror film genre; they take the viewer through agony and fear designed to bring out tension and suspense. Murder mysteries, private eye tales, chase thrillers, women-in-danger films, courtroom and legal thrillers and erotic thrillers. Suspense-thrillers in many different shapes and forms. Thrillers focus more on the suspense and danger that is generated and keep the emphasis away from the gangster, crime, or the detective in the crime-related plot.